I don't know if it's a trend, but it's quite possible. When my 120gb drive failed after 13mths (just outside of warranty - wouldn't you know it!) last year, I was quite miffed and did a bit of reading. I couldn't find anything that suggested the brand (Maxtor) were any less reliable than their competitors.
The newest drive has been installed for less than 3 months and is failing in precisely the same manner. Bloody annoying, but I suspected I've just been unlucky.
The other thing to consider is that both drives were not expensive - around fifty quid, so I do wonder if I simply got what I paid for.
When I have the time I'm just going to buy two and get them going in RAID '1'. At least then if they fail occasionally I don't have the hassles that I do now!
James